Field of the Invention
This invention relates to database accesses and more particularly relates to tracking context related to database accesses.
Description of the Related Art
Databases are used the world over to track information. Databases track credit card transactions, customer loyalty heuristics, payroll related information and so forth. The reliability of database accesses affects people's credit ratings and their bank accounts. Preferably, each database transaction accurately executes a desired transaction and accurately updates a database according to the desired transaction.
However, the applications that are used to track database information make mistakes. They may use transactions incorrectly so that they result in deadlocks or timeouts and consequently inaccurately reflect the intended database change. They may track database information with overly complex statements that use up too many resources on a database and fail for that reason. Human errors may also corrupt database information. For example, an airline reservation system does not commit a seat reservation for hours and subsequently blocks this seat for other customers. Another example, a point of sale operator may intend to charge a customer $20.00 for a purchase and may, through a keypad error, charge a customer $200.00. Such an error may cost a consumer $180. The database may reflect the entered transaction, but the entered transaction itself may be incorrect.
A database operator must track down the source of database errors, regardless of whether the error was caused by a human error or otherwise. In a typical database transaction, a database client application may request information from a database. The client and the database may reside on distinct computer systems. An intranet, Internet or other network may provide network transport between the client and the database. While a database may detect a questionable transaction, the database is often not able to gather information from the user, the application developer, and the database operator to track down the source of the error, particularly when the error is in the software operating on the client.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that coordinate database transaction tracking across multiple computer systems. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would provide a user, an application developer, a database developer and a database operator with valuable tools for analyzing and tracking the source of database errors.